About Town: St. Louis

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The third week of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup is upon us as the top 70 players in points head west to Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Mo., for the BMW Championship. Here's the lowdown on what to do if you decide to join them...

SOMEWHERE TO SNOOZE

Make the most of the Midwest: The Ritz-Carlton, St, Louis is one of the city's finest hotels, if not the finest. This four-and-a-half-star hotel has great restaurants, an indoor pool and jacuzzi, a sauna and steam room and massage services, and is only 20 minutes from the course. Rates start around $240 a night.

Special to PGATOUR.COM

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis

HOT HOTELS

Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis
Chase Park Plaza
Hilton St. Louis Airport

HUNGRY?

Zia's on the Hill
Pho Grand
Niche
Hodak's

GET BUSY

Gateway Arch
Budweiser Tours
Lumière Place Casino
Cardinals vs. Marlins

Other options
• Chase Park Plaza: If you don't mind being a little further from the course (an extra 10 minutes), then you can stay at this four-and-a-half-star hotel for much less. Rates start just over $100 a night.
• Hilton, St. Louis Airport: For convenience and value, you can't get much better than this three-and-a-half-star Hilton. Just 15 minutes from Bellerive, rates start around $90 a night.

SOMETHING TO SNACK ON

Much like the other Playoffs tournament hosts, St. Louis is a big city with more options than you need for great places to eat. PGATOUR.COM's suggestions:

• Zia's on the Hill: Established in 1985, Zia's is a family-owned restaurant named for the aunts of the owners. "Zia" means "aunt" in Italian. And that gives away the type of food served up here. Its tasty plates and affordable prices make Zia's a popular place with the locals.
• Pho Grand: An authentic, family-owned, Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Grand offers a delicious taste of the Far East in the heart of America's Midwest. If you like a little spice in your life, Pho Grand should be on your menu this week.
• Niche: Opened in 2005, Niche takes local, seasonal ingredients and turns them into fabulous European-style dishes. And don't forget about the dessert menu at Niche; how does a liquid chocolate cake sound?
• Hodak's: So you've had a little European, and a little Asian; how about some good old American? Serving up fried chicken that would make the Colonel jealous since 1962, Hodak's is a must-eat in St. Louis.

SOMETHING TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT

• If you know nothing else about St. Louis, you know about the Gateway Arch. Symbolic of St. Louis' status as the "Gateway to the West," the arch dresses up the city's skyline, bringing a little funk to Midwestern tradition. You can go up to the top of it for a view of St. Louis -- but bear in mind it does get a little narrow up there.
• OK so you might know one other thing about St. Louis. It's the home of Anheuser-Busch, also known as the home of beer. Take a tour of the Budweiser brewery and give yourself a not-so-needed reminder of why you love beer.
• Lumière Place is a fairly new St. Louis casino where you can throw your money away in style. There are also some fabulous restaurants at the resort, and it's conveniently located in the middle of the downtown district so you can move onto something else if the Blackjack table doesn't go your way.
• The 2006 World Series champions call St. Louis home, and you can see the Cardinals take on the Florida Marlins at Busch Stadium this weekend as the regular season winds down. The Cards are far from a lock for the playoffs, so they'll be rallying to improve their status in time for October.

Special to PGATOUR.COM

Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame

STICKING AROUND?

As mentioned earlier, St. Louis is the "Gateway to the West," which means that you can easily get to a ton of really cool places from here. Our top picks are both less than five hours in the car and both well worth the trip.

• Chicago: Drive about four-and-a-half-hours northeast of St. Louis, and you'll find yourself on the banks of Lake Michigan in one of America's favorite cities, and there's a reason people love it so much. Discover why for yourself.
• Nashville: OK this is hardly in the West, but who says the gateway has to be specifically for that direction? Just under five hours southeast of St. Louis, Music City welcomes you -- with or without cowboy boots -- and you are in for an awesome time.